Preventable Mortality

The definition of preventable mortality used in this HealthSTATS page is adopted from the one the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) used in their 2012 Health Indicators report and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health used in her 2011 Annual Report to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. This preventable mortality indicator attempts to quantify the number of premature deaths from causes that could have been prevented (i.e. through lifestyle changes); however, not all deaths that are classified as preventable could have actually been prevented. For the purpose of this HealthSTATS page, preventable mortality will be reported as an age-standardized rate per 100,000 persons aged 0 to 74 years.

In 2012, the preventable mortality rate in Simcoe Muskoka was 149.4 (139.0, 159.9) per 100,000 (<75 years), which was significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 123.9 (122.0, 125.9) per 100,000 (<75 years). The rate of preventable deaths in Simcoe Muskoka has been consistently higher than the Ontario rate for the thirteen-year period between 2000 and 2009; however, there was a significant decreasing trend in the rates for both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario over that same period of time.

In 2012, the preventable mortality rate among Simcoe Muskoka males (<75 years) was 200.4 (183.2, 217.7) per 100,000, which was double the rate of 100.3 (88.3, 112.3) per 100,000 Simcoe Muskoka females (<75 years). There was a significant decreasing trend in the rates for both males and females in Simcoe Muskoka over this thirteen-year period of time.

In Simcoe Muskoka for the years from 2006-2012 (combined), those living in neighbourhoods in the lowest income quintile had an age-standardized preventable mortality rate of 211.5 (199.1, 223.8) per 100,000 (<75 years). This more than double the preventable mortality rate of 97.7 (91.2, 104.3) per 100,000 (<75 years) among those living in neighbourhoods in the highest income quintile.